2011-12 Fantasy Hockey Left Wing Rankings

Bounce-back seasons expected from key left wingersNHL.com's Matt Cubeta ranks the top left wings for the 2011-12 fantasy hockey season.

NHL.com started their fantasy hockey rankings with centers on Monday, Aug. 29 and will release rankings for each position by day, finishing with goalie rankings on Friday, Sept. 2. We will release the top-175 overall fantasy hockey rankings on Tuesday, Sept. 6. Positions are based on where we project these players to start the season -- they may change when the season begins. Regardless of what kind of league you're in, NHL.com has you covered for fantasy hockey all year long.

It's not a surprise to see Alex Ovechkin at the top of the list for the 2011-12 fantasy season. Despite a subpar season by Ovechkin standards, the Capitals' captain still managed 32 goals and 85 points in 2010-11. While Daniel Sedin outproduced Ovechkin statistically, we expect Ovi to rebound and produce closer to his 2009-10 stat line (50 goals and 109 points) -- and you should too.

After appearing in just 13 games last season, New Jersey's Zach Parise flies in at third on our left wing ranks, and we're hoping for big things from the former 45-goal scorer, who missed most of the season after knee surgery. We're also hopeful that his teammate Ilya Kovalchuk will carry his late-season momentum into the 2011-12 season.

Dany Heatley and Michael Cammalleri also join the group of left wings we're expecting to bounce back. While it's possible they don't, these players are highly talented scorers, so don't hesitate to scoop them up on draft day.

The left wing position thins out relatively quickly, but you might find a diamond in the rough late in the draft with emerging youngsters like Taylor Hall, Brandon Dubinsky, James van Riemsdyk or Jamie Benn. All of them had solid numbers (or playoffs for the case of JVR) last year and should continue to build off that this coming season.